ST. LOUIS — Authorities on Friday charged a St. Louis street rapper in the shooting death of a teenage hockey player last month on Interstate 55.
Garrett Jordan, 26, was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and unlawfully using a weapon in the death of Christian Brothers College High School student Colin Brown, 16.
St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Gabe Gore said “excellent police work†led to a break in the case.
“These charges were issued after extensive investigating and really remarkable coordination and collaboration between agencies,†Gore said at a press conference Friday afternoon, surrounded by leadership from several law enforcement agencies including the FBI and Illinois State Police.

Jordan
St. Louis police Chief Robert Tracy said his department has been working around the clock and that the investigation is still very active.
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“It won’t bring Colin back,†Tracy said. “As a father myself, I pray this brings a sense of relief to Colin’s family.â€

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Tracy discusses the arrest of Garrett Jordan in the shooting of Colin Brown on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department headquarters.
Still, Gore noted that charging documents do not specifically identify Jordan as the shooter, and authorities suspect he was acting with someone else. Transferred intent, a legal concept holding a person responsible for harming someone other than the intended victim, could be relevant in the case, Gore said.
Jordan, who raps in St. Louis under the name YelloTapee, has collaborated with well-known street rappers in the region.
His music videos feature drugs, guns and money. A music video he performed in with St. Louis rap group 3Problems has garnered almost 30,000 views.
Charging documents say Jordan left his home on Minnesota Avenue in his Audi the night of Nov. 23 and followed a car onto I-55. The driver of that car, who had also been at the Minnesota home, told police he was shot at in the same area and time as was Colin, who was driving north on the highway with his dad after a hockey game.
Colin died days later.
Police said Jordan’s phone and area video identified him in the Audi “before, during and after the shooting on I-55,†according to charging documents. Police found the Audi parked at a home of one of Jordan’s relatives.
Police also said it appeared that multiple shooters fired at the car Jordan was following. Evidence seized on I-55 included over 20 cartridge casings that were matched to a handgun and a rifle.
Jordan was released from federal prison in October, according to federal prison records. He was sentenced to 8 months after he violated his probation for drug and weapons charges, according to court records.
The teen’s death brought a barrage of public heartbreak and outrage, and hundreds showed up to his funeral last week.
Brendan Kelly, director of the Illinois State Police, was at Friday’s press conference. Colin’s dad, Calvin Brown, is a retired lieutenant colonel from that agency.
St. Louis police asked the public for information several times following the shooting.
Department spokesman Mitch McCoy requested neighbors near the intersection of I-55 and Loughborough Avenue check their doorbell or surveillance video footage and contact police.
“Whoever did this, we are coming for you,†McCoy said at the time. “Expect us to be knocking on your door.â€
Jordan’s charging documents suggest at least two people pointed detectives toward Jordan and his Audi, including the southbound driver who was shot at during the incident.
On Friday, Gore said the witnesses in the case were identified by cops through their investigation, not the calls for information from public authorities put out. He noted the public did help and that a lot of the video evidence is from residents’ doorbell cameras.
“That cooperation was helpful in this investigation,†Gore said.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore announces the charges against the suspect in the killing of Colin Brown on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters. Authorities arrested Garrett Jordan and charged him with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and unlawfully using a weapon.